Miguel Mihura Santos (21 July 1905, in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

– 27 October 1977) was a Spanish

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. He is best known for his comedy '' Tres sombreros de copa'' (1952), a work of

absurd humor Surreal humour (also called surreal comedy, absurdist humour, or absurdist comedy) is a form of humour predicated on deliberate violations of causal reasoning, thus producing events and behaviours that are obviously illogical. Portrayals of surrea ...

that predates similar works by Beckett or Ionesco and that broke with many of the previous conventions of Spanish comic theatre. He was also active as a comics artist.

Biography

Miguel Mihura was born in

in 1905. His father was an actor and

theatrical producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hire ...

. When he was in his twenties, he wrote his best-known comedy, ''Tres sombreros de copa'', but its humour was not appreciated by the conservative pre-war Spanish society. ''Tres sombreros de copa'' was not staged until 1952, achieving a great success. In the 1920s he was a contributor of the satirical magazine ''

Gutiérrez Gutiérrez (, , ) is a Spanish language, Spanish surname meaning "son of Gutier / Gutierre". ''Gutierre'' is a form of ''Gualtierre'', Spanish form of Walter (name), Walter. Gutiérrez is the Spanish form of the English surnames Walters (surname), W ...

''. During the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

he edited a satirical magazine entitled '' La Ametralladora'' which was produced by the

nationalists Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

. In 1941 he founded another satirical magazine, '' La Codorniz'', which he owned and edited until 1944. He also contributed various magazines, including '' Mundo Hispánico'' and ''

Vértice ''Vértice'' (Spanish: ''Vertex'') was a monthly Falangist magazine published in San Sebastián, Spain, between 1937 and 1946. Its subtitle was ''Revista nacional de la Falange''. From late 1937 it was changed to ''Revista nacional de Falange E ...

''. In the latter he worked as the artistic director from 1939. Mihura also wrote several screenplays in Spanish films during the second world war . Most of them were cut by the censors and some do not exist. One of his greatest contributions was in ''

Welcome Mr. Marshall! ''Welcome Mr. Marshall!'' ( es, link=no, ¡Bienvenido, Mister Marshall!) is a 1953 Spanish comedy film directed by Luis García Berlanga, and considered one of the masterpieces of Spanish cinema. The film highlights the stereotypes held by both ...

'' (1953), directed by

Luis García Berlanga Luis García-Berlanga Martí (12 June 1921 – 13 November 2010) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. Acclaimed as a pioneer of modern Spanish cinema, his films are marked by social satire and acerbic critiques of Spanish culture under t ...

. His brother was the film director Jerónimo Mihura.

Selected filmography

* ''

Intrigue Intrigue may refer to: TV and film * ''Intrigue'' (1920 film), a 1920 German silent drama film * ''Intrigue'' (1942 film), a Spanish film * ''Intrigue'' (1947 film), 1947 film directed by Edwin L. Marin * ''The Intrigue'', 1916 silent film dra ...

'' (1942) * ''

House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...

'' (1943) * ''

The Sunless Street ''The Sunless Street'' (Spanish: ''La calle sin sol'') is a 1948 Spanish drama film written by Miguel Mihura and directed by Rafael Gil.Bentley p.109 Cast * Amparo Rivelles as Pilar * Antonio Vilar as Mauricio * Manolo Morán as Manolo * ...

'' (1948) * '' They Always Return at Dawn'' (1949) * ''

Just Any Woman ''Just Any Woman'' (Spanish: ''Una mujer cualquiera'') is a 1949 Spanish drama film directed by Rafael Gil and starring María Félix, Antonio Vilar and Mary Delgado. Synopsis A woman who is alone tries to get ahead on her own, but precisely he ...

'' (1949) * '' My Beloved Juan'' (1950) * ''

I Want to Marry You ''I Want to Marry You'' (Spanish: ''Me quiero casar contigo'') is a 1951 Spanish comedy film directed by Jerónimo Mihura and starring Virginia Keiley, Fernando Fernán Gómez and José Isbert.de España p.166 Cast * Buenaventura Basseda * Mar ...

'' (1951) * ''

(¡Bienvenido Sr Marshall!) (1953) * ''

Let's Make the Impossible! ''Let's Make the Impossible!'' ( es, ¡Viva lo imposible!) is a 1958 Spanish comedy film adapted from the play ''"¡Viva lo imposible! o el contable de las estrellas"'', by Miguel Mihura and Joaquín Calvo Sotelo, and directed by Rafael Gil.de E ...

'' (1958)

References

External links

* *
Lambiek Comiclopedia article.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihura, Miguel 1905 births 1977 deaths Writers from Madrid Spanish surrealist artists Spanish surrealist writers Spanish comics artists Spanish male dramatists and playwrights Members of the Royal Spanish Academy 20th-century Spanish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Spanish male writers Spanish magazine founders